We arrived in London at about 6:00 am on a bleak Monday morning, after an all-night flight and quick stop at the hotel to change clothes in a bathroom that was under a staircase and the size of a postage stamp. Literally. It was quite acrobatic trying to change out of my travel sweats into something presentable, and it left me more sweaty-feeling than refreshed-feeling. Anyway, after this quick-change we were off to pick up our London Passes and see some sights.

The London Pass place was in a small kiosk-looking building on a street corner, which had a spiral staircase going into a basement. I had a great London-first on the way out of this place when some bum on the street started explaining to me that he needed a hot drink to take his medications, which he had just picked up from the chemist (pharmacist), so that they didn't give him an upset stomach. After asking him to repeat this (still unsure what he was asking for...which, in the end, was money, of course), I told him I was sorry and moved on. I guess I either have a compassionate look about me, or else a stupid look, because it only took about 20 minutes of being in London for this to happen to me!

Anyway, we ended up seeing some of these sights, though not in this order. This was the worst day we had for weather, and even then we did not get rained on. The jacket came off and went on throughout the day, but we really did have perfect weather!

Pond in St. James Park

The London Eye in the background

Beautiful flowers

More flowers.

Right out front of Buckingham Palace, they were preparing for the Queen's Jubilee. If you saw any of the concert celebrations of this, you will recognize that this was the stage everyone performed on. It was quite a mess with construction crews and bleachers going up, so we did not go back the next day for the changing of the guard.

I was told the best place to watch the hour-long procession of the changing of the guard was from the steps of this round-about. Since it was inaccessible, we decided to pass on it.

In front of the gates.

Guards marching

The yard was gravel, not paved at all. The guard's boots made a great crunchy sound on it as they marched back and forth.

King's Cross Station, of course. I was disappointed, however, that there was not a brick barrier between platforms 9 and 10, like J.K. Rowling describes in her book.

A really neat-looking building outside King's Cross.

One of the neatest places we visited: The Sir John Ritblat Gallery. It was simply amazing seeing such original works of art from so many great masters.

How could I not get a pic of this? It smelled nasty inside, just to help give you an idea of the full experience.

Beautiful street we walked down.

National Gallery in the background, which, incidentally, is free to enter, if you ever find yourself in London. This was also and amazing experience--seeing originals of timeless artists.

Horse Guard Parade (where the Olympic beach volleyball is being held).

Beware: horses may kick or bite. Thank you. Yeah, I'll keep my distance, thank you!

Horse Guard Parade--St. James Park is in the background, and Buckingham Palace is just beyond that.

Imagine wearing that all day and sitting on a horse.

Kensington Palace

One of my favorite pics, taken as we were hurrying toward the exit (or way out, as it says).

On our second day in London, we took the Tube to Kensington. Speaking of the Tube, we had a rather impressive experience, if you ask me. We didn't get on the wrong train once. We never missed a stop, and we always got to where we needed to be, and on time, too. Not every ride was pleasant--especially if we ended up in one of those tunnels or trains at rush hour...but all in all, it was a very nice public transportation system and sure beats trying to drive!

The Sunken Gardens at Kensington

Another view of the garden. We weren't able to go into it.

Ballerinas with the Orangery in the background.

In front of the Sunken Gardens

Queen Victoria's statue in front of Kensington Palace

View from the south (I think).

Inside the palace, there was a display of dresses that Princess Diana wore. I loved seeing the designs firsthand. Amazing!

I love the simpleness of this design.

Staircase in the King's Apartments

A tapestry

An intricately painted ceiling. I swear, there are probably thousands of pictures of me on security cameras all over London staring at ceilings with my mouth open. They were simply exquisite.

A clock and fireplace in Kensington Palace.

Some of the artwork displayed at Kensington.

An ermine robe. I can't remember when this dates back to, but have I mentioned I love old clothing and textiles? I was in heaven!

A hall and lots of art (including on the ceiling).

More old clothing. The embroidery was amazing!

An example of one of the odder silhouettes of fashion history...this dress shape is called panier. It is very wide at the hips (made so with structural undergarments called paniers) and very narrow front-to-back. Going through doorways front-ways was a challenge, I would imagine...not to mention sitting.

Detail of the embroidery and how the bodice fits onto the skirt.

I can't imagine wearing the shoes that people wore in the 1700s.

You can see the narrowness front-to-back here. The back of the dress is amazing. Look at the cuffs and ruffs coming off the elbow of the sleeve. The lacy cuffs were removable so they could be worn with different dresses.

They had reproductions of servant's clothing that you could try on. Naturally, when given a chance to dress up in dodgy clothing that hundreds of sweaty tourists have already tried on, I give it a go. I didn't travel 7000 miles to just look at them on the hangers! 

This is a black gown that Victoria wore when meeting with her cabinet after becoming queen (I think). I imagine the silk has faded to this brown shade from the original black. It was still beautiful.

Queen Victoria's wedding gown. Wow!

Detail of the wedding dress.

Prince Albert's wedding clothing.

Mural on one of the walls, showing pictures of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their nine children. Yes, nine children. Following the vine around, they are: Princess Victoria, Prince Albert Edward, Princess Alice, Prince Alfred, Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold, and Princess Beatrice.

Some shoes. Again, can you imagine walking around in these all day?

If, by chance, you have not seen the movie The Young Victoria...repent and see it right away. These pics will probably be more interesting after seeing it and it is just a great history on Queen Victoria, and the love of her life, Prince Albert. Such a sweet love story.